ILLINOIS REPORT
By Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP

Published February 24, 2003

THERE'S A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK IN ILLINOIS

by Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP

                    Who do you like best - 6'3 Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'4 Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, or 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL?  That's the big question that a lot of people will have to answer when they fill out there ballots for Mr. Basketball, but making a prediction about what's going to happen won't be easy for several reasons.  First, everybody knows that politics dictates that a junior isn't going to be named Mr. Basketball.  Second, history has shown that a player who has signed with the University of Illinois has a distinct advantage, which makes the race between Brown, who clearly is the better player, and McBride, who is going to Illinois, too close to call.  However, all that could change with an early verbal commitment by Livingston to the Fighting Illini.  Then, Livingston not only would be the best player in the state right now, but he also could help ensure himself of being the only repeat Mr. Basketball winner in the state's history.   But that's assuming that 6'9 Jr Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL doesn't follow in Livingston's footsteps and also pick the University of Illinois, which is a lot more likely than most people realize.  Remember, Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report think Pruitt and Livingston are not only neck-and-neck as the #1 junior in the state, but also easily are the two best players in the state right now.  And that's saying an a lot when one remembers that the HOOP SCOOP has Brown ranked #6 nationally in the senior class.  Brown, who is a prototypical college 2-guard, is an incredible athlete who can beat you outside with his deadly 3-shooting range or going to the basketball with explosive quickness and powerful upper body.  McBride is an even better 3-point shooter than Brown and he also has a tremendously strong body, which he uses to dominate opponents physically and overpower defenders as he gets the hole.  However, McBride doesn't possess the tremendous leadership qualities that Brown has nor is he as naturally gifted as Brown.  Livingston also doesn't shoot as well as Brown or McBride, but he's still a better outside shooter than he's been given credit for being.  Livingston also might not get to the basket as well as either Brown or McBride, because he's not as strong physically, but in terms of finesse, decision making, ball handling, and passing, he has few equals.  We're talking about a 6'6 point guards who is often compared to Magic Johnson and Penny Hardaway.  Livingston also is one of the few players we've ever seen who can totally dominate a game without scoring a lot of points, which is why some people think he's the #1 junior in America. 
                    Pruitt, who is as versatile as any 6'9 player in the nation, is reminiscent of former North Carolina All-American Sam Perkins.  Not only is Pruitt extremely active and skilled offensively inside, but he also stretches the defense with his smooth demeanor and excellent 3-point shooting ability, plus also has great athleticism and instincts, especially at the defensive end, where he is a great shot blocker and rebounder.  However, Pruitt hasn't done it yet on the national circuit and the same can be said about 6'5 Jr DeAaron Williams from Bartonville (Limestone) IL.  But a number of people in the state think Williams is just as good as Livingston and Pruitt right now, which means Illinois may have as may as three legitimate consensus top 10 players in the junior class nationally once everybody sees them on the nation circuit this summer.  Williams, who is an outstanding athlete and a great finisher, excels in the open court, gets great elevation, and plays bigger than his size.  And if that weren't enough, there also is 6'4 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, who not only is as naturally gifted as all the players we've mentioned above, but also is best described as a poor man's Shaun Livingston.   And Cerasoli, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is not too poor, as his ball handling and passing skills are exceptional for somebody his size, plus he's a much better 3-point than Livingston.  What Cerasoli lacks is Livingston's court demeanor, plus he is a lot more physically fragile than Livingston, who also needs to get bigger and stronger, but is a lot tougher than most people realize.
                    The junior class also plenty of depth with 6'4 Jr Jamarcus Ellis from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 6'2 Jr Xavier Price from O'Fallan (H.S.) IL, 6'7 Jr Eric Vierneisel from Algonquin (Jacobs) IL, 6'5 Jr Tommie Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, 6'1 Jr Jared Haynes from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'6 Jr Ollie Bailey from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'5 Jr Ryne Hamblet from Chicago (Von Steuben) IL, and 6'1 Jr Jarryd Loyd from Skokie (Niles West) IL.  Ellis can shoot the three, but he's best slashing to the basket and coming up big at crunch time, as was evident when he led Chicago (Westhinghouse) IL to the 2-A State Championship last March as a sophomore.  Price is another athlete-extraordinaire, but he's a tweener, which means he lacks the outside shooting and perimeter skills necessary to be mentioned in the same breath with players like Brown, McBride, Livingston, Pruitt, Williams, and Cerasoli.  Vierneisel is probably the most unherald player nationally in the class from the state, but Roy Schmidt thinks this athletic white-kid is a cross between Michael Dunleavy Jr and Keith Van Horn.  "Vierneisel can shoot, handle the ball, and is an outstanding passer," says Schmidt.  "All he needs to do is get stronger.   Vierneisel has had a tendency to play soft at times."  Liddell is a wiry strong "athletic wing forward who can wheel and deal with the basketball on O," says Rick Bolus of the High Potential Basketball Recruiting Service.   Haynes has as much scoring ability as any point guard in the class, as was especially evident when we saw him score 31 points versus the New Orleans Jazz in the adidas Big Time Tournament last summer in Las Vegas, NV.  Bailey promises to be the next quality big man to come out of Farragut, but to be mentioned in the same breath with Kevin Garnett, Michael Wright, and Elliott Poole, he will need to grow or develop a face-up game and preferably both.  Hamblet is like a point/forward with good ball handling, a smooth demeanor, and a soft shooting touch that extends well beyond the 3-point line.  What he lacks is defense and physical strength.  Loyd, who is another major sleeper, is the quickest point guard in the class next to Livingston, but his game is more reminisient of Illinois' point guard Dee Brown.  Just like Brown, Loyd's a one-man press breaker and he makes a living by converting points off turnovers. 
                    The senior class also has plenty of depth, as 6'7 Brian Randall from Peoria (Notre Dame) IL to Illinois, 6'5 Dameon Mason from Aurora (West Aurora) IL to Valparaiso, 6'2 Jimmy Miles from Olympia Fields (Rich Central) IL, 6'3 Colin Falls from Wilmette (Loyola Academy) IL to Notre Dame, 6'8 Dwayne Curtis from Maywood (Proviso East) IL to Auburn, 5'10 Charles Richardson from Maywood (Proviso East) IL to Nebraska, 6'8 Lorenzo Thompson from Chicago (Crane) IL to DePaul, 6'7 Marcus Heard from Springfield (Southeast) IL to DePaul, 6'7 Jerrah Young from Chicago (St Rita) IL to West Virginia, and 6'6 Ben Rand from Rochelle (H.S.) IL to Iowa all have signed with schools that recruit at the high Division I level and 6'8 Michael Rembert from Chicago (St. Rita) IL to Bradley, 6'0 Andre White from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6'2 Andre Knox from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL to Loyola-Illinois, and 6'0 Eric Gray from South Holland (Thornwood) IL to Indiana State are absolute steals at the mid-major level.   And there are some quality seniors still available, like 6'1 Anthony Harris from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'5 Florentino Valenica from Chicago (Crane) IL, 6'3 Shelby Jordan from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL, 5'10 Carl Marshall from Chicago (Crane) IL, 5'11 Dan Ruffin from Peoria (Central) IL, and 6'5 Marcus Medsker from Quincy (Senior) IL.   Harris is a combo guard and prolific scorer who just misses being ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally.  Valencia is a terrific rebounder and is excellent offensively around the basket, but he needs to grow and/or develop better perimeter skills in order to get recruited at the high Division I level.  Jordan in an incredible athlete who uses his speed, quickness, and anticipation to thrive in an uptemto setting and create havoc defensively.  Marshall is lefty point guard who gets to the hole, runs the show, and complements his talented teammates.  Ruffin lacks size, but he has excellent ball handling and passing skills.  Medsker can beat you both inside with his ability to get to the basket and outside with his ability to shoot the three. 
                    The sophomore class has potential, but beyond the first three players - 6'7 Soph Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'0 Soph Angel Santiago from Chicago (Von Steuben) IL, and 6'1 Soph Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL, it has not developed as rapidly as expected.  The freshman class also appears to be slow to develop, but 5'10 Frosh Willie Walker from Romeoville (H.S.) IL has the quickness, athleticism, and natural talent necessary to be a great one!